This One Thing
by Ryu-Mizu
Summary: CHAPTER 9 IS UP! What if Trunks was to decide to admit his feelings for a certain demi-saiyan? What will happen when he does? TrunksGoten, Warning: shounen-ai, if you're uncomfortable with that, don't read!
1. What would life be without you?

Ryu: Hello all! I'm so happy, my first fic! As said in the summary this is a Truten fic, meaning shounen-ai. (Boy-boy pairing) It's in Trunks' POV. So...I hope you all like it! Ok here's the disclaimer! Discalimer: Ryu does not own DBZ/GT or any of the characters that are from those animes that appear in this fic. However, she does own the one or two other characters that appear for a paragraph or two! Now on with the fic! Now I'm gonna get some ketchup! truns to reader before running off Please read and enjoy!  
  
This One Thing  
Chapter 1: What would life be without you?  
  
What would the night sky be without stars? An ocean without water? That would be my life without him. Empty. We've always been the best of friends, ever since we were barely old enough to walk. When Majin Buu came and attacked the Earth we fought side by side, we even joined bodies using the Metamorese fusion technique. We've always been there for each other, through out the destruction of nearly everything we cared about. The destruction of Chikyuu-sei. It was painful, both physically and mentally. But in a way, we felt safe together, as long as we were with one another we would survive. And now we lay here on the couch, my Chibi asleep in my arms, his raven hair in a ruffled mess framing his face, and I can hear a content purr rumbling deep in his chest. The dim glow of the TV illuminates the otherwise dark room and creates shadows across his sleeping form. I caringly brush some stray bangs from his relaxed face and wrap my arm around his waist as I snuggle down next to him, beginning to drift asleep myself. I breath in deeply, taking in the sweet smell of the one I love, remembering how lucky I am to be with him and how this almost never happened due to my fear of how my best friend would react if I told him my true feelings. I slowly let my eyes close, listening to the steady breathing of the one that I don't think I could bare to live without....  
  
:::::::Flashback:::::::  
  
I was sitting in a large classroom along with about 25 other teens who are being forced to go through this torture adults like to call 'school'. The room is filled with the background noise of chatting groups of friends that are randomly hanging around the classroom waiting for the bell to ring. I'm sitting in my chair, surrounded by a group of friends, friends that I practically ignored half of the time. At least I have been ignoring them recently...just as I'm doing right now. They were talking about some game or some dance or another, and all I'm doing is sitting here, my gaze directed at him as he sits on the other side of the room, laughing with some of his buddies. Deciding to go over and talk to him, I search for a chair near him. After a second or two I find one about five feet away from him, finally I get to talk to him....my train of thought is rudely interrupted by the sound of one of my friend's voices.  
  
"Trunks, hey Trunks? Hellooooo? Did you even hear a word I just said?" Alexi, one of my friends, asks, waving his hand in front of my face to get my attention.  
  
I mentally shake myself for allowing my mind to wander off, thinking about Goten again, while my friends are sitting right next to me, trying to talk to me. "Huh? I'm sorry, I wasn't quite paying attention..."  
  
He smirks at me, "Thinking about someone again, hm?" Noticing I was about to protest, he continues, "Don't be so tense Trunks, I'm not trying to mock you or anything, I wouldn't do such a thing, now would I?"  
  
"Yes, you would," I state plainly.  
  
"You know me too well, don't you? Anyways, we were all talking about the dance the school is organizing for tomorrow, and then I turned to you and asked you if you were planning on going, and then I realized that you weren't paying attention to me, and then I said..."  
  
"OK! I get the picture!" I exclaim. Now what do I tell them? I have absolutely no clue whether I'm going or not.....immediately I begin to think about Goten...I'd almost completely forgotten about the dance! Yeah right, for the past week I've been trying to get myself to ask _him_ to the dance. I've been going through numerous embarassing situsaions that have occured when I've been just about to ask him and then something goes wrong. As Juniors we were expected to go, not as much as the Seniors, but it would be the talk of the school if we didn't show. Especially since there were tons of girls asking us out. I wonder if he's found a date yet...maybe we can...but what would happen if I asked and he didn't want... My thoughts were cut short by someone snapping their fingers in front of my face.  
  
"Trunks? You're off in lala land again!" I heard Alexi complain.  
  
"Oh! Well, I don't really know about the dance....I mean I have someone in mind but I dunno...."  
  
Brrriinngg....Brrriinngg. _Thank You!_ Yet again, I was cut off, but this time was a thankful relief. I relaxed back in my chair as the other guys moved back to their seats. But today was still the day before the dance and I'd hafta ask Goten soon, if we were going to go......Look at yourself Trunks, you're being reduced to a bundle of nerves be one of your friends. However, I counter myself, he's your best friend, your friend that happens to hold your heart in his hands and he doesn't even know it.  
  
"Good morning class!" exclaims my home room teacher, standing up in front of the class. "Please sit quietly while I take your attendance!" Man he's just too excited this early in the morning, laying my head down on my folded arms. This is going to be a looong day! As the announcements come over the P.A. I listen vaguely to the news on the sports and what-not, I can't wait until Study hall.......  
  
Later That Day  
  
BRRIINNGG!!  
  
"Now I hope that all of you will be ready for the exam coming up on Monday. Sleep well, study, and make sure you eat a good breakfast Monday morning.! See you all Monday!"called out the science teacher happily. The while class began packing up their things and stand up. I shoved my books into my backpack and slung it over my shoulder, getting up out of my chair. _Study? Yeah, right! I mean, come on! He's giving us a test on the basics of the digestive system! As in, the mouth chews, the stomach digests, blah, blah, blah... _I walked through the door, and made my way down the hallway through the crowds of people hanging out by their lockers, heading towards my last class of the day: Study hall. After a minute or two of walking, and ignoring the stares of other students, mostly girls looking for dates, I finally reached my locker. Turning my combo, I hear it click and yank the green metallic door open, quickly put my hand In front of some of my books to stop them from falling out. I took a second to pull me science book out of my backpack and shove it into my locker, grab my white binder that I keep all of my homework and junk in, and then slammed the locker shut, locking it quickly. I then headed to the library, which was just down the hall from my locker, and as I went the hall began to empty. I stepped through the doorway just as the bell rang, and the creepy looking, grey- haired librarian looked at me over the rim of her glasses with her 'you- just-made-it' look. Acting as if I hadn't noticed I grabbed the pen laying on the front desk and scribbled my name down onto the sign-in sheet. Looking around the room quickly, I spot Goten sitting at our usual table and stroll over to him.  
  
"Hey Chibi!" I call out as I reach the table and pull out the wooden chair situated across from him. I sit down on the chair, setting my binder down on the table in front of me. He looks up at me, after taking a second to finish the math problem he was working on.  
  
"Hey, Trunks! I figured you were gonna be a no-show again 'cause of your Bio teacher!" he replied, laughing lightly.  
  
"Yeah! He kept going on about how we should be 'extra prepared' for our 'big exam' on the digestive system Monday!" I tell, beginning to forget about how utterly boring my day had been. But that's just the effect he has on me I guess. "So what have you been up to?"  
  
"Not much, Mom's been bugging me about how I should get perfect grades in school," he responds. Then, gesturing to his calculus book, he adds, "Which is why I'm doing my homework for once!" Even though we both pull off high-nineties for grades ChiChi still insists that Goten should do better. Actually, I'm not one to be talking, mother's almost as bad. Sighing, I pull out my own math work and a pencil.  
  
"I guess we might as well get some work done while we're here, it'll make less to carry home," I sigh, putting my pencil to the paper, attempting to write my name. Realizing that it's not making any marks I look at the tip and notice that's it's broken. I look over at Goten, about to ask him if he has a pencil I can borrow, but I stop myself as I notice him staring at something. His gaze is focused behind me and off to the side, so I turn around to see what he's looking at. My eyes widen slightly in shock as I notice the table of girls situated directly where his gaze is focused. I glance back at him, and then back to the girls. Realizing that he might actually be staring at _them_, my breath catches in my throat and my heart pounds faster in my rib cage. Then I hear a low rumbling coming from his direction, I turn my attention back to him as he glances down at his stomach. He notices me staring at puts a hand behind his head, smiling the famous Son grin. "I guess I should have eaten more at lunch!" As if to emphasize what he said, his stomach lets loose another growl, louder this time. I quickly dismiss my worries, he was just staring off into space thinking about food again. But still....... I get up and stroll over to the pencil sharpener, which happens to be three feet away from the table full of girls I had noticed earlier. However, it was on the other side of a bookshelf, so they didn't notice me. I f they had they probably would've wasted no time swarming me. I put my pencil in the sharpener and proceed to sharpen it.  
  
"So, who are you taking to the dance?" I hear one of the girls 'whisper' in an extremely high-pitched voice.  
  
"I dunno, but Trunks is really hot!" said another girl, following that statement with a fit of giggles. Almost all of the group from the sound of it soon joined her.  
  
"Yeah," began another girl as the laughter started to subside, "But so is Goten! He's a real cutie!"  
  
"Why don't you ask him to go with you?"  
  
She laughed nervously, "I couldn't, he'd probably laugh at me and say no!"  
  
"Didn't you see him staring at you in English class?"  
  
"He was!?!" she practically squeaked.  
  
"Yeah! He was practically drooling!" added the first girl.  
  
My jaw dropped open. I can't believe it! I thought I actually had a chance at going to the dance with him....at these thoughts my heart almost broke. Goten probably didn't want anything to do with me, except be friends.  
  
"Oh well, I really don't care what you think, Trunks is cuter anyway! You're just confused," exclaimed the girl that had commented on my looks before.  
  
"But..."  
  
My eavesdropping was interrupted by a hand being placed on my shoulder. "Trunks?" I hear Goten ask. "Why are you still sharpening that pencil? Judging by the fact that it's all the way down to the eraser, I'd say that it's pretty sharp!"  
  
I spun around quickly to face him and said, "Well, umm...no reason in particular. I guess I just kinda lost track of time!" _Calm down Trunks! So what if he was looking at them? He's just a guy who you've fallen for completely!_ For some reason this doesn't do much to comfort me at all. _He was probably just thinking about food again like he was a couple of minutes ago, I mean his English class is right before lunch!_ He just looked at me like I had grown an extra head or something.  
  
_Lost track of time? Weird, I mean he was sharpening a pencil! Now I could understand if he was thinking about someone, preferably me....  
_  
Huh? What was that? It sounded like Goten, but he's standing right in front of me and I know he didn't say that out loud....Weird. Oh well, I glance at my pencil to notice that Goten's right, it's barely useable. Sighing a follow Goten back to our table. Trying to push the girls' conversation out of my head I ask, "So, what do you want to do today?"  
  
"Huh?" he looks up at me, it seems he was already working diligently on his homework.  
  
When he doesn't respond right away I tell him, "You're coming over after school, like you usually do on Fridays. Does that ring a bell? Man, you can be so clueless sometimes!"  
  
"Hey, I resent that!" he complains as he folds his arms over his chest in a mock pout. _You can be pretty clueless sometimes yourself, baka!_ My eyes widen slightly at the sound of this, actually more at the fact that I heard it, without actually hearing it....It's just been a long day, I guess I'm just hearing things....  
  
Ryu: So what do you think? My very first chapter, I'm so happy! I'd greatly appreciate it if you guys would review, even if it's to say you hated it! Obviously I'd prefer if you were nice about it if you didn't like the story. If you have the need to flame this fic though, who am I to stop you? If you have the need to yell at me and curse me because you didn't like the story and you're not mature enough to be civilized about it then that's not my problem! I do have a question for those of you that like this fic....did you like the way it started with a flashback? I thought it might be interesting, but I'm not sure if you guys will like it! Anyway...this started out as a one-shot, but it started getting too long...lol I tried to edit this as best I could, I don't think that there's a lot of errors, but if any of you want to beta-read this, feel free to say so in your review! Ja ne!


	2. A movie and nerf guns?

Ryu: Hello! Another chapter! I'm so happy, I got such nice reviews! I'd like to thank all of you guys that reviewed! Brolly509 and enfant- terrible, thank you so much! My first reviewers!!!  
  
Brolly509, I'm glad you want to see where this is going, I was hoping people would be interested in this fic! Ok, now on with the story!  
  
Enfant-terrible, My first reviewer!!!! Yay, I'm happy you like it!  
  
Ryu: Ok, now, on with the fic! pauses Oh yeah! The disclaimer!  
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters/stuff that appears in this story that are in the anime DBZ or any other anime!   
  
This One Thing  
Chapter 2: A movie and nerf guns?  
  
I was pacing my room, every once in awhile pausing to gaze out the window in an attempt to see Goten. I looked down to notice that there was a slightly faded place in my teal blue carpet where I've been pacing for almost 30 minutes. _Where is he?_ _He should be here by now!_ Almost exhausted from pacing I collapse onto my bed and sigh deeply. _I shouldn't worry..... It's not like he'd forget to come or anything. I mean he assured me that he wouldn't forget in Study Hall earlier!  
  
_ ::::::Flashback::::::  
  
"Huh?" Goten looks up at me, clearly confused.  
  
"You're coming over after school today, remember?" I respond. "Man, you sure can be clueless sometimes, baka."  
  
"Hey, I resent that!" he exclaims, crossing his arms over his chest and pouting.  
  
"Fine I take it back, but you hafta admit, you've been forgetting a lot of stuff lately!"  
  
"Like what?" he retorts.  
  
"Well, for one thing, remember when we were watching TV at your house the other day and you asked halfway through a commercial break what we were watching? Or how about when I asked you to get some duct tape and you didn't come back so I had to go get you. And when I did I found you sitting watching TV?"  
  
"Ok, I get the point!" he exclaims, "You make it seem like I forget  
everything!"  
  
"Fine, you obviously don't believe that, so you can prove me wrong by remembering to meet at my house right after school!" I remind him.  
  
"Sure don't worry, I wouldn't forget that anyway. I mean when have I forgotten to come over to your place?" he responds.  
  
"Yeah, you're right," I tell him. My mind returned to the fact that I had no idea what we could do. "Hey! I got an idea!"  
  
"Whoa! Trunks Briefs has an idea! Mark this day down on the calendars!" he proclaims.  
  
"Ok, ok. I deserved that one. But what I was going to say was that we could watch a movie or something," I suggest.  
  
"Sure, I have Pirates of the Carribean on DVD, I could bring it over if you want," he states.  
  
"Great idea, I haven't seen that movie yet, but it sounds like a great movie!"  
  
BRRRIIIIINNNGGGGG!!!!!  
  
"Well, I gotta get going," he says. "I hafta stop by at my house and tell mom where I'm going. She has this idea that I hafta tell her in person! I guess she's just 'looking out' for me though!" he continues, heading towards the door. I stand up, grabbing my stuff and heading towards the exit, smiling to myself. School is over until next week and I get to spend the whole weekend with Goten!  
  
::::::End Flashback::::::  
  
_Yeah, I'm sure Goten will get here soon, he's just being a baka and taking his time!_ I roll over onto my back, my legs hanging off the side of the bed and gaze at the ceiling. Some of the little bumps on the ceiling start to look like a picture of Goten. I close my eyes and think, Why can't I get him out of my head? _Because you're crazy about him, _a little voice in my head simply responds. I guess it must be my subconscious speaking to me or some junk like that. Videl is studying to be a psychologist, maybe I should ask her what it means. Yeah, right. I can see it now: "Umm..Videl? Can I talk to you about something? Well, you see...I have a crush on someone, and well.....this someone is my best friend. What?! How did you know?! Oh it's that obvious? Then how come he doesn't notice? He's too busy thinking about me? Yeah, in my dreams! Oh, so you say I should just go all out and admit my feelings for him? It doesn't matter that he's, you know, my best friend and everything?" All that would do is cause me to gather up my courage to ask him and then I'd end up backing down just before I actually tell him! Maybe I wouldn't back down though, but even if I didn't he'd end up hating me for the rest of our lives, I'm sure he doesn't like me back. This is so confusing! _Where is he?!_ I shouldn't let myself get all worked up over this, I can live with him just being a friend, live with not being able admit my true feelings. I mean he's just everything to me, I don't have to have the hope of being able to hold his hand every time we're together, the hope of being able to touch him when ever we're together...There I go again, working myself up over something that should be so simple. I should be able to just tell him, but for some reason I fear I'll lose him if I'll do, and I couldn't live without him in my life. I open my eyes and continue to stare blankly at the ceiling.  
  
Tap Tap Tap  
  
I turn my head toward the window to find Goten floating outside, tapping on the glass. He's smiling broadly at me and his green T-shirt is slightly ruffled from the flight and his hair is in a mess. I glance over at the clock before standing up and notice that he's over an hour late. I stroll over to the window and slide it open, it's one of those windows that open by sliding up. He climbs through the window and closes it behind him. Quickly, he slides his hand through his hair to straighten it a bit and smooths out his shirt.  
  
"Hey, Goten," I say in greeting. "What took you so long?"  
  
"Oh, y'know...my mom was being overprotective and didn't want me to leave until I had my homework done and she had to make sure that I'd packed my sleeping bag and junk," he responds, gesturing to his bag.  
  
"Does she realize that we have a ton of spare rooms here?" I question, incredulously. "Rooms with actual beds that you could use, I'm sure you'd prefer a real bed over a sleeping bag!"  
  
"I dunno, I should mention that to her next time," he responds, laughing. He digs through his bag, after a minute he pulls something out of his bag. "Here, I remembered to bring it!" he states happily, showing me the DVD.  
  
"Cool! You want to eat before we watch it?" I question.  
  
"I dunno, I just ate before I came, how about we just grab something to eat while we watch?" he suggests.  
  
"That works," I agree, "Let's go." I open the door and head down the stairs.  
  
"Trunks! It's not polite to go in front of your guests!" he calls after me.  
  
Laughing, I call back, "And who said that you were a guest?"  
  
"That's not very nice!" I turn around at make a face. "Trunks!"  
  
As I reach the bottom of the stairs, I'm tackled to the ground. "Ha ha, I got you!" he says.  
  
"Goten, that's not fair, I didn't even have a chance!" I exclaim. He looks a s if he's thinking about what I said so I take my chance and flip him over onto his back. "Now who's got who?" I question.  
  
After about a half an hour we're both completely exhausted, collapsing on the carpeted floor in the living room. "So, should we get something to eat now?" I suggest, slowly sitting up.  
  
He immediately responds, "Sure!"  
  
"How'd I know you were going to say that?" I ask, as we both stand up and head towards the kitchen. On the way Goten picks his DVD up off of the floor, since he had dropped earlier so he could tackle me. He sets it down on the counter and grabs a plate out of the cupboard. "If you're a guest, how come you know exactly where everything in the house is?" I ask him.  
  
He shrugs his shoulders, "I dunno. Maybe I'm psychic or something!" he suggests.  
  
"In your dreams," I respond. He ignores my comment and proceeds to raid the fridge. After a minute or two, we both have our plates piled high with all sorts of food, sandwiches, cake, cookies, oranges, ketchup, etc....  
  
"You got the DVD?" I ask.  
  
"Check."  
  
"Food?"  
  
"Check."  
  
"Brain?"  
  
"Wha–? Hey!"  
  
"Ok, are we ready for two hours of Pirates of the Carribean?"  
  
"Yep!" With that we both plop down on the couch in front of my 72" wide-screen TV. We have a whole table covered in food in front of us and the lights are off. I glance over at Goten, his eyes are glued to the TV, I turn back to the screen and watch as the camera switches to a view of Jack Sparrow standing on his ship as it sinks into the ocean. Just as it's about to be completely submersed he steps onto the dock......  
  
::::::Roughly two hours later::::::  
  
The screen darkens as the ending credits begin to scroll down. "That was great! It's even better the fifth time you see it!" laughs Goten.  
  
"I've been so deprived my whole life, I should have seen this sooner," I tell him. We both just sit here for a few seconds, each remembering our favorite scenes. I glance down at the table, realizing that it was covered in wrappers, crumbs, and other junk. "We should clean this up. My mom will kill us. She told us that the rules were that we had to keep the house as clean as it was when we came in!"  
  
"Rules? Their more like...guidelines, than actual rules, wouldn't you say?" he tells me, quoting one of his favorite lines from the movie.  
  
Realizing that we didn't exactly have to have the place cleaned up until mother got home, I go along with him, deciding to get him to help me clean it up tomorrow morning. "So, what do you want to do?" I ask.  
  
He looks as if he's deep in thought for a moment and then repsonds suddenly, "Do you still have those nerf guns?"  
  
After a second I get where he's going and smirk, "Sure do! They're in my room, under the bed." We both pause for a second, and then we race up the stairs.My feet pound on the stairs as I race up them and I shove the bedroom door open and dive inside. I search frantically underneath the bed, quickly coming upon a large cardboard box. I pull it out and yank the top off. I pull out one of the nerf guns and stand up facing the doorway. Goten comes around the corner of the doorway and freezes.  
  
Looking quickly at what I'm holding he screams, "Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!!!" He turns on his heel and runs down the stairs. I chase after him, quickly catching up. However, when I reach him he has another nerf gun in hands.  
  
"Where'd you get that?" I question him, never taking my eyes off of him.  
  
"I found it. I have psychic powers, remember?" he responds, a mischievous smirk resting on his lips. He takes a step in my direction and I back away slowly. Suddenly I turn around and run out the door into the backyard. Remember, this is the backyard of Capsule Corporation, meaning it's humongous. I take off into the sky, my ki leaving a blueish trail in my wake. _I love acting like we're in elementary school again, with not a care in the world._ When I'm pretty high up I search for Goten's ki. Feeling it right behind me, I glance back to see that he's right on my tail. I put more speed into my flight, hoping to outrun him.....  
  
Ryu: Ok, another chapter's out. Sorry if some of you didn't get the Pirates of the Carribean stuff! I had them watching a movie, so I decided to have them watch one of my favorites! Sorry it took me awhile, but I'm not exactly the fatsest typer in the world! Plus, I had the majority of the story written out, but I just realized that most of it doesn't make sense, so I'm writing most of this on the spot. Don't expect any chapters during the week, I'm not allowed on the internet! Anyway, I hope you all liked it! This chapter was one of the pointless chapters I had written out, but I think I made it better! Anyways, please review, it would be greatly appreciated! I know you probably hear this a lot, but your reviews truly do inspire me to right more! Maybe the next chapter will be longer if I get lots of reviews! Ja ne!


	3. Fine Dining

Ryu: Hi! I'm back!! Yay! Ok...So I got lots of nice reviews last chapter! So that means that it's time to respond to them:  
  
Alia: Thanks soo much for reviewing both chapters! I'm glad you like it and I hope I got this chap out soon enough! Sorry about forgetting to put the name of the story in the e-mail I sent you, but just so you know it was me that e-mailed you!  
  
Trunksgal: Thanks for reviewing! I'm glad you like it, and tell your friend that I'm happy that a person who doesn't know a lot about DBZ liked it!! BTW....thanks for telling me about Gravitation I love it!  
  
Anonymous: I'm happy you think it's a great story so far! And about your question.....Umm...Just read this chapter, it should be explained towards the end of the chapter!   
  
Chibi Reicheru: Yay! I'm on a favorites list!! I've made it on 'the list' with my first fic!!! Thanks a bunch!! I'm happy you like it!  
  
The weird person that I'm forced to sit next to on the bus in the morning : Hahahahahaha!!! You can't submit reviews!! Anyways..Thanks for the great idea, I'm definitely going to use it and thanks for saying you liked it!!  
  
Yonk: I'm happy I got you interested! Yay! About whether they're gonna get together or not....Telling you would spoil the fic! Thanks for reviewing!  
  
And lastly..... 'Head of the FFN Order': Weird pen-name......Ryu reads review "Been put on black-list.......Watch as your readers leave." Hmmm...That's interesting, I'd say it's a threat...Yay! This means that it's my first flame!! Well...I don't exactly think my readers'll be fleeing cause I write "YAOI" I put the warning in the beginning and the summary soo.... Hahahahahaha at you, that review was a waste of your time!  
  
Now that that's done I'd just like to give my thanks to everyone who reviewed! It means a bunch, I was so happy to log-in and find all these reviews. You all get these new, virtual DBZ plushies I just made appear with my magical author powers! BTW, the title's a little weird, but I couldn't think of anything! So...on with the fic!!!  
  
This One Thing  
Chapter 3: "Fine Dining"  
  
I stare at Goten in disbelief, "Really? Do you mean it?" Completely shocked my mouth is hanging open and I swear my eyes are probably popping out of my head. He smiles at me, his face haloed by the bright morning light. _Huh? The light's just a bit too bright, isn't it... I dunno why, but something feels weird.... _I think to myself. As I finish my thought, Goten suddenly turns into a ketchup bottle. "What?!" I exclaim. "What's going on here?"  
  
My eyes open suddenly and I sit up quickly from my position asleep on the couch in my living room. "That was one weird dream!" I exclaim under my breath, pushing a few lavender strands of hair from my eyes, only to have them fall back. I rub my the sleep from my eyes and scan the living room, noticing that the sunlight is shining through the east facing windows, yet the sun is up higher. Man I must've been asleep for a long time, it must almost be noon already! As I think about, I realize that I probably didn't sleep that long, considering the fact that I'd been up since past 1 am......Me an' Goten had stayed out until the early hours of the morning, just acting like idiots. We'd spent hours chasing each other, and after we'd ended up getting into a short sparring match. I know, that may sound kinda weird to someone who's not a Saiyan, but that's our idea of fun, I guess. Afterwards, we'd just sat down, completely exhausted, and just talked for hours. I know that we 'talk' all of the time, but we've never really talked like we did then for quite some time. Turns out Goten hasn't agreed to go to that dance that's being held at school tonight, so I guess I have no reason not to ask him now....But what if he says no, I mean, that would completely ruin our friendship......_Not to mention_ _my heart_, I add to myself. Then again, this can't be healthy, obsessing over someone and never telling them...  
  
"Trunks-kun!!" I hear a voice that sounds oddly like Goten's call out. I see his head poke around the corner of the entrance to the living room and he smiles at me. "I thought I heard you get up!" _But I didn't move at all, how could he have heard me?_ I think. "I dunno how, I just did I guess!" he adds cheerfully. _Is he responding to me? But I didn't say anything out loud?_ I ask myself, confused. "Anyway, I found a ton of food on the kitchen table!" He exclaims, then, almost as an afterthought, he adds, "You can have some if you want!"  
  
"Why thank you, Chibi! I mean, it is my house, I'm so happy you're allowing me to eat some of my food!" I exclaim. He simply chuckles at my statement and returns back to the kitchen. What a baka! _But that's part of why I love him! He deserves to know how I feel about him....._ Little did I know ,but as I thought this, I subconsciously made the decision to tell him about my feelings....Getting up off of the couch, I slowly stroll into the kitchen. Whoa! My eyes probably almost popped out of my head, but not without just cause, the table was covered in food! I mean, literally _covered _with food! There was food with more food that was piled on top food that had been piled on top of that food. Goten was sitting at the table, dwarfed by the massive pile, shoving handful after handful of food into his mouth.  
  
"Wow," I state. "That's a lot of food!" I walk over to a chair sit down. I pick up a bagel and begin to chow down. "And you say.....you found.... all of.....this?" I ask between mouthfuls of food.  
  
"Yep!" He responds, "It was...just....sitting here..."  
  
In minutes the pile is visibly dwindling, in another five minutes, the pile has disintegrated into one lonely bagel. I stare at the bagel, Goten, the bagel, and then back at Goten. He stares back at me, as if to say: it's mine. I hold his gaze in defiance, suddenly he jumps up after the bagel, and I spring up after him. He reaches it first and I tackle him off of the table and onto the floor. He's holding the bagel right beyond my grasp as I try to reach for it. He rolls us over so that he's on top and holds the bagel in front of my face. He has my arms pinned down at my side by his knees, so I'm in no position to steal the bagel from him. As I struggle to get out from under him, he slowly tears a piece of the bagel off and eats it slowly, our eyes locked the whole time. Somehow I find this oddly arousing.....  
  
"That's an interesting position you brats are in!" I hear a gruff voice call from the direction of the doorway. I tilt my head back to see an upside down version of father standing in the doorway leaning against the wall, nothing big.....Wait! FATHER!?! I sit up quickly, knocking Goten onto the floor and turn to face father.  
  
"Umm...it's not what you think!" I quickly assure him.  
  
Father smirks, "Hmph! Yeah whatever...D'you think I'm stupid?"  
  
"Honestly, Mr. Vegeta, we weren't doing anything. I was just showing off that I'd gotten this bagel, and not Trunks!" adds Goten, gesturing towards the half-eaten bagel he was holding for emphasis.  
  
"I really don't care brat, just .don't. do that in the kitchen!" he states. "Wait a minute, did you say 'bagel'?" he asks us. When he doesn't receive an answer, he looks over towards the table that had .once. held a huge amount of food. His trademark vein pulses on his forehead as he clenches his fists. I look over at Goten nervously and mouth to him, 'get ready to run'. He nods in response and we return our attention to father. He seems to be hyperventilating as he speaks, "That. was. my. food!" He blasts into Super Saiyan with a quick yell, and I look at Goten and nod.  
  
"Run!" With that we both rush past him and close the door to the kitchen behind us. Thank you Mother, I think to myself, thankful that she had installed Saiyan-proof doors in most of the house, just in case any bad guys happen to want to attack us or something like that. "Man, that was close!" I pant to Goten.  
  
"Yeah, I've never seen him that angry in a long time!" laughs Goten, "He must've been really hungry!"  
  
"Yeah I guess so..." I trail off, thinking. He doesn't usually get that upset when someone eats his food. Oh well, it doesn't really matter that much... "So, Chibi, what do you want to do today?" I ask casually.  
  
He shrugs, "I dunno, hmmm...... Why don't we go out to eat?"  
  
I face vault at this, He just ate! I slowly pick myself up and stare at him. "Dude, you just ate! And now you want to go out and stuff your face again?" I ask incredulously.  
  
"Yep!" he responds happily, smiling widely at me. I simply stare at him.  
  
"How can you eat so much?" I ask.  
  
"I think it has something to do with Saiyan metabolism or somethin'," he responds.  
  
I smack my forehead, "That was a rhetorical question, baka!" He stares at me blankly, causing me to question myself as to how he ever got this far in school. "Oh well, we better get goin', I'm not quite sure how long that door can hold Father," I tell him. We both head towards the front door, which is just down the hall. "So where do you want to eat?"  
  
"Hmm..." he puts his hand under his chin like he's deep in thought. "How 'bout that new all-you-can-eat place?" he suggests.  
  
"Works for me! Plus, they're new, so I don't think you're dad or any of the other Saiyans/half-Saiyans have gotten to it yet!"I respond. I open the door and Goten walks out in front of me. I let the door shut behind us I float up a couple of feet off of the ground, as does Goten. "Last one there's gotta do the other's homework for a month!" I shout, blasting off quickly.  
  
"Hey!" I hear Goten yell to me, "Not fair, you got a head start! I can't belie..." his voice dwindles as I feel his Ki go farther behind me. _Bakayarou...I can't believe him!_ I hear a voice say in my head, Ok this is getting weird. Why do I keep hearing Goten's voice in my head? Could it really be Goten? Father told me once about how Saiyans bond to their lifelong mates as a symbol of their love, he also said this bonding would aloow them to communicate we really be bonding?! Tentatively, I call out with my mind, _Goten? Can you hear me?  
_  
  
Ryu: Mwahahahahahahaha! A cliffhanger, yay! I finally made one! I'm so happy! .....please forgive me, I'm a little hyper right now, having gotten my new Gravi book today.....sadly they didn't have volume 4 ...but I still got 3! I love Ryu-chan, he's sooo cool! Anyway.....Sorry about the short chap, but I just typed this and want to get this posted today rather than on next Friday, and I figured you'd prefer it this way too! Plus, this isn't proofread, all I did was use the spell-checker, and it doen's work too well, so please forgive any mistakes! I hope you all liked this chap! I'll just be leaving you all now so...Ja ne!   
And please review!


	4. Confessions

Ryu: Ok, I'm back! Yay! This chapter is going to be longer in apology for the short chap last time! So....Will Goten respond? Will he even hear Trunks? What will the answer to these questions mean? Hmm...I guess you'll hafta read an' find out, but first my response to the reviewers!  
  
Yonk: I'm happy you like this fic so much that you'd want the chapters out sooner! Sorry it took awhile for this chap! I still dunno if Trunks can read Goten's thoughts though......hmm, I guess I should figure that out soon! Lol  
  
NoZoMi aNd HoTaRu: Your pen name's hard to type! lol! Anyways...I'm happy that you both decided to read this shounen-ai fic then! Thanks for saying that you think this story is good and for reviewing!   
  
Trunksgal: 'Wrath of the Yuki bunny'? I think I know what ur talking about, but I'm not sure.......Anyways, I figured that I'd put a cliffhanger so people will want to find out what happens! Heheh....Please no more shin- kicking! lol Anyways, I was hoping some people would like the bagel part, I thought it might seem too immature though silly me, what was I thinking?  
  
LD: Thanks a bunch for the review! Sry for the wait, but I updated now! See!   
  
Alia: Thanks for reviewing! You liked the cliffhanger, right? Lol  
  
Hannah Luvz Gohan and Goten: I updated! And it didn't take me too long! I'm so happy that you seem to like this fic so much!   
  
Uhhhh...Me!(Jak): Hi! It's great your comp is letting you review, more reviews for me! Mwahahahaha! Actually half-Saiyan and Demi-Saiyan are the same thing with dif wording! Baka......What do ya mean 'I win'?  
  
YaoiFreak7272: Thanks for the review! Here's the next chapter! Yay! (I'm waaay too hyper)  
  
The Mouse of Anon: Oo Ok...Interesting review....lol Sry, but I think this is gonna be another cliffhanger.....  
  
Anonymous: Thanks for reviewing! And thanks for the plushie planet! I love it! About ur question...I kinda just put it in there with no explanation. I have an explanation, but I'm not sure that I want to put it in the fic anymore.   
  
Enfant-terrible: Wow! You really seem to like this fic! Yay! I hope this chapter makes up for the cliffhanger, I just couldn't resist putting it in! Lol   
  
So....Moving on, I hope this chap will be longer in apology for the last chap being so short, but I couldn't find time to type it during the week, and it's Friday right now..so it should be Saturday right now, that's if you're reading this right after I post it! ( prob'ly not ) Anyways....on with the fic! (Can you believe I still don't know if they can read each other's thoughts completely?)  
  
Disclaimer: Me own nothin' but this fic and the plot!.....Got it? Good! Cause I'm NOT saying it again, it's gettin' kinda annoying!   
  
This One Thing  
Chapter 4: Confessions  
  
_Goten? Can you hear me?_ I call out tentatively with my mind as I scrunch my eyes closed, thinking that for some reason that would make him hear me. I just float here in mid-air, hoping with all my heart, with everything that I am, that I'd hear a response. My heart is pounding in my chest and I'm holding my breath, afraid that if I breathe I won't be able to hear him. The seconds go by slowly, as if world has stopped for me, but I know that isn't true, the only person the world would ever stop for is _him_. My whole mind is focused on listening, hoping that it would be true, that we would be bonding and that he would share my feelings. That we are truly meant for each other. That this isn't me just being stupid, believing in fairy-tales about true love, and the happily ever after ending. As I sit here, I can almost feel Goten's mind in mine. Almost as if he's right here, with me....Almost, however isn't enough. There is no response coming from him, I was just being stupid.......But, I swear that I could _feel _him for that second, as if I knew everything about him. How he felt, why, what he was thinking at that moment, everything. I open my eyes slowly, the bright sunlight slowly shining upon them. I look down sadly, _I guess it was never meant to be.....and I know, with all of my heart, with my very soul, that love him....It might have taken some time to realize it, but I know the truth now...I can't live without him!_ I can feel my eyes watering, the pain in my heart taking a physical form: Tears....Tears that I can not let fall, I wish I could, but something inside me, maybe it's my Saiyan heritage, won't let me. Even if I could cry what would it do for me? _Nothing..._ I tell myself. I can't show my emotions like some human, as my father would put it. I guess I am as much like my father as most people say, I never really noticed that before.....  
  
Oh well.....I see a blurry form from the corner of my eye, floating about 10 feet below me. I wipe my eyes of any tears that would have fallen and tilt my gaze a bit so that the form is in the center of my vision. As I stare, I notice that it's Goten, I'd completely forgotten about him for a while. Well, not exactly, I'd forgotten about the game of tag we'd been playing, but my whole mind had been filled with him. What's he doing? He's just sitting there, his back facing me, and it seems as if he's looking down at something. I looked beyond him, towards the direction of his gaze, straight at a clearing in the middle of a forest that we had been flying over. _Weird..... I could've sworn that we had been flying over the city, I guess we must've drifted off in the wrong direction. I mean, I was kinda distracted.....  
_  
Brushing off the fact that I was most likely going crazy, I return my attention to Goten. What in the world is he doing sitting there? I slowly float to the left a bit, just enough so that I can see a bit off his face. The sunlight catches something clear on his face, shining back at me brightly. As I watch, a couple clear streaks make their way down the side of his face, leaving wet trails behind them. Was he crying? Dumb question. But why? Did I do something? There's no way he could be upset about something, I know I didn't do something wrong, we were just goofing around a second ago! _That is, until you decided to get all emotional!_ I scold myself. There's nothing that could be wrong, I mean, I guess some people would say he was unhappy because he wasn't exactly rich, but I know him better than that. He doesn't care about money, and even if he did, he wouldn'tbe crying about it, unlike most would think. They all think he's this little kid that will cry at the slightest remark, but there's not much childish about him at all. He acts like we're kids again sometimes, but then again, don't we all? I do call him Chibi a lot, but not because he acts like a kindergartner.... It's just my nick name for him. It's something that I can call him affectionately without having to admit everything to him. Besides, if something was wrong he'd tell me. We tell each other everything, there's no reason that he'd want to hide something from me! He closes his eyes and a single crystalline tear falls down his cheek. _But, then why is he crying?_ He just sits there for a second, and then he lifts up his arm and wipes his face with his jacket sleeve, shaking his head from side to side.  
  
_No. I.....Can't! It's not worth going through that again!  
_  
_Ahhhhh!_ I yell mentally, caught off guard by the sound of Goten's voice in my head. There it is again! I can't believe this, is someone in other world just trying to torture me or something? I always knew Supreme Kai was up to no good, that guy creeps me out!  
  
_Meanwhile on Other World_  
  
Supreme Kai shivered, "Did you just feel that Kibito? I just got the coldest feeling, as if someone was talking about us?"  
  
Kibito simply looked over at the Supreme Kai for a second and then he went back to watching TV. He was so happy that Elder Kai had finally given into getting a satellite connection!  
  
_Now, back to Trunks  
_  
Here I am, stressing to myself that nothing's wrong with Chibi, when he's floating a few feet away from me, crying. Some friend I am......Unsure of what to do, I edge a little closer, my heart aching, wanting me go over to him and wrap him in a warm embrace, washing all his sorrows away. Well, now we're getting somewhere, aren't we? I'm admitting that I want nothing else but for him to be happy right now, and I'm admitting that there's something wrong!  
  
_So go over there and tell him! You're not doing either of you any good, just by sitting here whining!_ Huh? What was that? Oh yeah, I almost forgot about that stupid voice, my subconscious. _Stupid? Who are you calling stupid? You're the stupid one who's too afraid to tell the person he likes that he's madly in love with him!  
_  
"Ahhhh! I give up!" I exclaim, out loud of course. Me and my big mouth, I can't even shut up when I'm arguing with my subconscious! I snap back to reality just in time to see Goten turning around to face me. His face is still a little sticky from the tears, but it seems he's stopped crying. Now he has a look on his face that slightly resembles surprise rather than sadness from before as he approaches me. I really didn't like seeing him cry, but I'm not quite sure I like this look any better. He's staring at mer, eyes wide and his mouth is hanging open slightly. I'd say that he's either dumbfounded or scared, maybe both.  
  
"Ummm, T-Trunks?" He stammers. "I didn't realize that you'd stopped. I was, well, just admiring the scenery. How umm....long have you been floating over here?" he asks, his eyes full of worry.  
  
What do I say to him? 'Oh I was just sitting here the whole time you were bawling your eyes out'? Not exactly the best thing to say in a situation like this. "Well, you see...." I paused, trying to think up a plausible excuse. Straining my mind, I try my best, but I just can't find a reason for why I'd been floating here. Even if I could have, I don't think that I would have been able to lie to him. Plus, I want to know what's wrong with my Chibi! "Chibi, Goten, I....I was here the whole time...." His look of worry worsened at my words, making me wish that I _had_ lied to him, I never want him to hurt again. I'd give anything to make to make him happy again. I stare straight into his brown eyes, they're a dark brown though, it's not noticeable that they're brown unless you're staring straight into them as I am now. "Look, Goten, I really didn't mean to...." I stop as I see his eyes begin to fill with fresh tears.  
  
"You didn't do anything wrong Trunks. You can't do anything wrong." Before I can argue what he said he continues, almost in a whisper, "At least not in my eyes. To me you're perfect." Now it's my turn to stare at him wide-eyed, as he drops his gaze, looking at the ground. Did Chibi, _my_ Chibi, just say that? That _I'm_ perfect? As if!  
  
"Chibi," I lightly rest my hands on his shoulders, causing him to look up quickly.  
  
"Trunks?" His eyes are full of questions as he gazes at me. We simply hold each other's gaze for a moment that seems like forever. Without warning Goten collapses into my arms, sobbing. I freeze for a moment, as I let what's happening sink in. Chibi is in my arms. Looking to me for comfort. Nervously, I gently rub his back, rather unsure of what to do. I'd always hoped for him to be in my arms, but now that it's actually happened I don't know what to do. Plus, it's not exactly under the same circumstances as I'd always hoped for. His head is nestled into my shoulder, his body shaking every so often from his sobs. Poor Chibi......_What could have happened to you?_ I rest my chin on his shoulder as I hug him tightly, almost afraid to let go. I know he probably doesn't like me in the way I like him, and he probably never will, but I can at least be here for him as a best friend. "Trunks?" I hear him whisper into my shirt.  
  
"Yeah?" I respond softly.  
  
"There's something...that...I need to tell you...." he says, backing up and tilting his a little so that he can look me in the eye, yet not breaking our embrace. I continue to look at him, my way of saying 'Ok...and'. I can tell that he's trying hard to form his thoughts into words. "First, you have to promise not to be mad at me."  
  
I smile warmly, "Why in the world would I be mad at you?"  
  
"Just promise. I have to know you won't hate me!" he whispers, his need of my promise apparent in his tone.  
  
I sigh softly, "Yes, you have my word." Unconsciously, I brush a strand of raven hair out of his eyes with the back of my hand. Once I realize what I've just done, my heart pounds faster with worry, it's too late to take it back. Much to my surprise he clasps his own hand over mine, letting my hand rest on his smooth skin. "Trunks, you're my best friend, we've known each other forever. So there's no reason for us to keep secrets from each other. Especially if it involves both of us." I make an attempt to interrupt him, but he continues quickly, "Trunks I...I'm in love with...someone....."  
  
"That's great Chibi! Who is it!" I exclaim, full of fake joy, hopefully he believes I'm happy for him. I know I should be, I want to be. But him being in love means that he would spend less time with me and I'd have absolutely no chance with him! Waitaminnit.....why was he crying then? "Chibi, if that's what you were crying about..."  
  
He cuts me off, "It's not that. It's _who_ I like that's the problem." I can see something shining in his eyes, hope, maybe? "Trunks, I.....I love you." he whispers forcefully as he buries his face into my shoulder again. "I can't live without you!" He pauses for a moment, "Please tell me you feel the same?" he pleads.  
  
Ryu: Sooo....I'm SO SORRY I didn't post this earlier, but I couldn't, honestly. I was gonna make this really long, but I thought this would be a good place to leave off. Not much of a cliffhanger, we all know how Trunks is going to respond, right? Or do we? Mwahahahahahaha! Until next chap! Thanks to all you reviewers, I'm overwhelmed at the amount of reviews! I don't have a Beta yet, and everyone seems to be fine with my proofreading skills (If I have any ), but iff any fo you would like to beta this to tell me how I'm doing before I post it, it would be appreciated, just say so in your review! Ja ne 


	5. Responses

Ryu: Hello all! I'm back! Finally....sorry it took so long I just had no time to write and when I did I just couldn't decide what to write! I had a couple of ideas but I didn't know which ones to use! Lol....  
  
Responses to reviews: Sry, if they're a little short, I know you all want this chapter sooner!   
  
Cheesey little hobbitses- thanks for the reviews, they were wonderful! almost crying? Wow, I didn't know I had the skills to make someone cry over one of my fics! Thanks for the ego-boost! Lol  
  
Hannah Luvz Gohan and Goten- ok, first of from now on, I'm gonna call you 'Hannah', k? Thanks for the review, this one didn't 'leave of on one of the best parts', at least I don't think! And I'm happy you love my fic!   
  
Treana- No, that's not it...There's more!! Well...here's the update! Wow, I'm so happy you like my fic! And I'm happy you updated your fic "Forever"! I'm gonna review it after I post this, cuz I know everyone wants to read what happens! Thanks a bunch for the review!  
  
Trunksgal- Yes you ARE that evil...but sry 'bout the cliffhanger! No cliffy this time! Yayz!   
  
Enfant-terrible- Yes, what WILL Vegeta think? His whole response isn't shown this chap...it will be next time though! And thank you for the review and loving my fic!  
  
Chibi Reicheru- Yes it was a cliffy, wasn't it? Oh well, here's the continuation of last chap, so enjoy!   
  
Alia- Thanks a bunch for the review! Yet another ego-boost! Wow, soon my ego's gonna block the sun! Lol  
  
little fox- yes, yes it was a cruel cliffy, but this chap doesn't have a cruel cliffy! Yay! And yes, they do make out, kinda, I'm not really good at make-out scenes or stuff like that, but my friend Gaki is, maybe she'll write the next one?   
  
Jak- Kidnap Kuma-chan? First off I don't have a _real_ one, but if you do kidnap my imaginary one....no ketchup for the rest of your pathetic life! Mwahahahaha! Now who's the one laughing? evil smirk  
  
Sour Schuyler- You really shouldn't kick boulders, it's bad for your health! lol Anyway, I'm happy you like the fic, and yes I like the mystery telepathy thing to! It's fun to write...  
  
Gaki- Gaki....HI!!!!!!! Thanks for the review, it means a lot coming from someone who's stories I admire! And calling me wouldn't have worked, I didn't even know what was happening next 'til I typed it! lol And no, you can't be kuma-chan, well, maybe...we'll hafta talk about it! And 'Livia's gonna be Eiri? She'll hafta cut her hair really short! lol  
  
Tanin- you hafta review!!! It's the button thing at the bottom left!!!!  
  
Ryu: Well...that's done! THANKS FOR ALL THE WONDERFUL REVIEWS!!! That's said, so, what will Trunks say? Hmm...Any ideas? No? Well...you're in luck cause here's the next chap! Not a lot of an intro, so one with the chapter!   
  
Last time:

_He cuts me off, "It's not that. It's who I like that's the problem." I can see something shining in his eyes, hope, maybe? "Trunks, I.....I love you." he whispers forcefully as he buries his face into my shoulder again. "I can't live without you!" He pauses for a moment, "Please tell me you feel the same?" he pleads.  
_  
This One Thing  
  
Chapter 5: Responses  
  
Stunned, I open my mouth, but I can't seem to find anything to say. I know he just said what I think he did, but it just seems impossible! My love has just declared his feelings for me, and here I am, with no idea what to say, my mouth moving but absolutely no sound coming out. I feel my shoulder dampen slightly, meaning he's started crying again, and it's because of me! I gently grab him by the shoulders and push him back slightly, so that I can see his face. He refuses to look me in the eyes so I gently reach out my hand to lift his chin up. I pause mid-reach, my fear of scaring him off or making him hate me still strong. He seems to notice this and grasps my hand with his, brushing his cheek against my palm lightly. My heart jumps at the contact, every cell in my body electrified by that simple touch. Relishing in the feeling of his skin on mine, I gently tilt his chin up with my hand so that I'm staring directly at his eyes. He looks up at me, straight into my eyes, and it seems as if I can see straight into his soul.  
  
I'd always dismissed those rumors and stuff, about how a person can look into another's heart just by staring them in the eye, and in a way I think I was right, but I was wrong also. It takes someone special, someone that you know you can spend the rest of your life with, someone you can trust, love, and cherish with all of your heart. And right at this moment, I feel all of those things, and more. I feel like I couldn't live without him....no, I know I couldn't. So right now, as I gaze into his eyes, it's as if I'm falling into an obsidian lake. Just falling and falling. I see his eyes shimmering with hope, and trust, desperately declaring his love and hoping that I return it.  
  
I gently brush my thumb across his cherry lips. They're so smooth....Unconsciously I find myself leaning into him, enjoying our close proximity, and I feel as if he's doing the same. My eyelids gently slide down over my eyes, allowing me to savor the feeling of my hand under his chin. Of his arms gently snaking their way around my neck as I wrap my free hand around his waist. A small shiver courses it's way up my spine. The seconds seem to last forever, but that forever seems unimportant as my lips graze his. At the contact I feel him shiver in my embrace and he deepens the kiss instinctively. For moments that last for an eternity we simply float here, feeling the warmth of each other's bodies pressed together, of our minds linked closer than I once thought was possible. Uncertainty clouds my mind for a brief second, but I roughly push it away as I lick his upper lip. I have no idea what caused me to do so, on our first kiss, but I did anyway, and I was rewarded with his parting lips. I push my tongue into his mouth, enjoying the warm, moist interior of his mouth as my tongue roams about...... And all too quickly the kiss is over and we part from each other, opening our eyes. We're both panting slightly, and I can't stop myself from pulling my hand away from his chin to brush my fingertips across my lips.  
  
"T-Trunks....I-I...ummm," Goten began, stammering, rather unsure of what to say. I gently place one finger over his lips, successfully silencing his words.  
  
"Goten, Chibi, I love you," I know it sounds pretty rushed, blurting it all out like that, but I couldn't stop myself. I've held these feelings inside for so long, I felt as if I couldn't keep a leash on them any longer. "My heart is yours, it always has been and it always will be, and you may do with it as you wish." I started out talking forcefully and strong, but my voice had diminished into a whisper by the end of my little speech.  
  
A little voice inside my head reminded me that committing my love to the other demi-Saiyan would mean that I would be the last Saiyan Prince. I countered that accusation with the simple fact that there was still my younger sister, Bura. The voice put up a last argument that by giving my love, my heart, to Goten, I was allowing someone to have complete control over my life forever, that I would always have that one weakness, and that there would be nothing I could do about it once it was final. I simply ignored the voice. So what if I had to live the rest of my life with Goten? Not having someone who could utterly control me isone thing I would sacrifice easily. It would be a small sacrifice if that was all I needed to achieve a life with my Goten. This whole conversation took place in seconds, but that seems to have been enough time for Goten to break down into tears again.  
  
"Oh, Trunks! Really?! You really mean it!?" His eyes were filled to the brim with tears and he was beaming one of his brightest smiles at me. "You don't entirely hate my guts right now? I was so worried!" He throws himself at me, wrapping his arms tightly around my waist and burying his face in my shirt, and I'm pushed back slightly at the force at which he's hugging me. Without thinking, I respond by encircling his shoulders with my arms, hugging him and knowing that this is perfect, nothing is better than holding him right now.  
  
"Yes, baka, I mean it! I wouldn't have said it if I hadn't meant it!" I tell him playfully, hugging him tighter.  
  
"I know, I know...It just seems too awesome to be real!" he sighs, a content smile resting on his lips. I can't help but let a smile rest on my own lips, the pure joy I'm feeling finding a small way to get out into the open. For a second we rest here in each other's embrace, savoring the feel of his chest rising in falling as he breathes and the sweet scent of the shampoo he uses in his hair. There's a gentle breeze blowing around us and the cotton-candy clouds that are so close above us lazily float by.  
  
"Goten?" I ask softly.  
  
"Mmm?" he responds, seemingly either too lazy or content, I'm guessing both, to form complete words let alone sentences.  
  
I lean my head down to whisper in his ear. "Now that I know for sure your feelings about me, I have absolutely no excuse to post-pone asking you this; Will you go to the dance with me?"  
  
He shivers a little as my breath brushes past his ear, tickling him. "Of course. I was hoping you would ask me!" he responds automatically without any hesitation whatsoever.  
  
"Thank you," I state simply.  
  
"For what?" he questions, puzzlement clear in his words.  
  
I smile as I answer, "For your love."  
  
By the time we had flown back to Capsule Corps. it was about 1:00, meaning we still had a couple of hours before we had to go to the dance. We had to walk through the kitchen to go upstairs to my room so that we could talk, since Mother had the 'bots cleaning up a gigantic mess in the other half of Capsule Corps' living quarters. I look over at Goten and he looks over at me.  
  
"Umm...I guess your Dad must've gotten out after we left! Heheh...." Goten states, laughing rather nervously. The rich smell of many different foods drifts to use through he open door leading into the kitchen, meaning someone was cooking. The only problem with that was that the only one of my parents that could cook was Father, and he was one Saiyan that I wasn't sure we wanted to see. I slowly tiptoe over to the kitchen entrance and peek in, Goten right behind me. The sight that meets my eyes causes me to back up suddenly knocking Goten over and gaining a yelp of surprise from him. I cringe at the noise, praying that Father hadn't heard it. No such luck.  
  
"Brat, what are you doing?!" I hear him grumble from his position in the doorway, since I couldn't see him due to the fact that I was lying on my back with my head on Goten's chest. "That's also the second time today I've found you two in an..interesting....position!" he adds, smirking. Ok, we really didn't need to run into him if it was avoidable, considering we did eat all of his food this morning. Just now, the second comment he made sinks in and I scramble away from Goten, quickly standing up and making a show of brushing some imaginary dust off of my shirt.  
  
And then Goten decides to put his two-cents into this conversation, "Aww, Trunks-kun! Why are you leaving me? Don't you want to stay near me anymore?" I nearly smacked myself, nice Goten, nice. Father just smirks.  
  
"Vegeta?" I hear a voice call from behind the doorway. "Who's out there? Are Trunks and Goten home?" A face very similar to Goten's pops out from behind Father, and a smile appears on this man's face as he spots us. "Goten! Trunks! You're finally home!" he exclaims.  
  
"D-Dad?" Goten stutters out. "What are you doing here?"  
  
"Oh nothing..." Goku-san responds, sending a quick glance over to Father, "Just visiting." I look over at Goten and we exchange looks, saying the same thing silently with our faces 'Huh?! What's going on here?!' I tilt my head quickly toawrds the kitchen, silently saying we should get going up to my room.  
  
He nods his head and turns to face Goku-san and father, saying, "Umm...well me an' Trunks, we hafta get going...Y'know, with all of our homework...and...stuff!" And with that we rush past Goku-san, who I notice is giving us a funny look and Father who's simply laughing.  
  
We make it into my room, Goten just ahead of me, and I shut the door quickly behind us We both collapse next to eachother on my bed, our nerves buzzing. "Whew...that was....weird, to put it simply."  
  
Goten laughs slightly, "Do you think that, well....y'know?"  
  
I stare at him for a moment, my eyes wide, and then quickly shake my head, "Nah....they couldn't they?"  
  
"No, you're right, I must just be imagining things....." Goten responds, laughing again. _I'm not so sure, though Goten. If I've learned anything in the last couple of hours, it's that anything can happen, including falling in love with your best friend, and having them return that love back to you, full force._ I think to myself, rolling over and resting on my side, my head on Goten's chest, and I feel his fingers gently running through my hair.  
  
Ryu: The end!  
  
Random person out there: But they still hafta go to the dance, and what happened to the whole mind-reading thing going on?!  
  
Ryu: Don't worry! I just meant the end to this chap! Theres' more coming! I couldn't end it there with all of the reviews I've been getting! BIG smile THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE REVIEWS YOU GUYS! And thanks to those of you who are reading this anonymously! I still need a beta-reader folks! Please? Anyone?  
  
Ja ne


	6. Preparations

Ryu: Okies minna-san! I'm back! doesn't allow the chat-room type openings anymore....I don't want to run the risk of this being taken down, so I'll just start the fic now! Oh, before I forget: If anyone didn't like the whole Goku/Vegeta thing, that's ok, cuz it won't be brought back up in this fic. Plus, I was wondering, does anybody read these openings? Just curious! If any of you read the previous chap. 6, please ignore it, read this chapter as a continuation of chapter 5! On with the story!  
  
This One Thing  
  
_Last time:_

"No, you're right, I must just be imagining things....." Goten responds, laughing again. _I'm not so sure, though Goten. If I've learned anything in the last couple of hours, it's that anything can happen, including falling in love with your best friend, and having them return that love back to you, full force._ I think to myself, rolling over and resting on my side, my head on Goten's chest, and I feel his fingers gently running through my hair.  
  
Chapter 6: Preparations  
  
"Trunks....C'mon, sweetie...you have to get up now, if you and your new boyfriend want to make it to that dance that I hear is going on tonight!" I hear a soft, feminine voice whisper, as I feel myself being shaken gently. I slowly open my eyes, my eyes focusing slowly to my surroundings. _Where am I?_ As I sit up I quickly recognize the pale blue walls and deep blue carpeting of my room, _Ah, that's right me an' Goten fell asleep in my room..._ Goten! My eyes widen in realization and I quickly turn my attention to the sleeping form laying on the bed next to me. His spiky black hair was splayed out all over the place, and he was curled up slightly, as if he'd been cuddled up against me in his sleep.  
  
"So, how long has this been going on?" I heard the same, familiar female voice ask. I turned my attention to the source of the voice, who just happens to be my mother, standing at the side of my bed. Oddly enough, though, she was smiling at me, her arms crossed loosely in front of her.  
  
Shocked that she wasn't more upset with me I stuttered out, "U- Um....Well, you see, I kinda just told him earlier that...that I had feelings for him, and well, he returned them....And now, we're a-a couple." I looked up at her, hoping that she wasn't just faking the air understanding until she knew for sure that me and Goten were dating. Wow. That just sounds so... so right. We've known each other forever, how could we not fall for each other? He's too beautiful in my eyes, too perfect for me to not want to be with him and love him for the rest of our lives.  
  
My mother's smile broadened if possible as she looked at me with now watery eyes. She wrapped her arms around me tightly, "I'm so happy for the both of you! You've always seemed to be closer than best friends. I was praying that things would work out good for you! I thought you had someone on your mind, since you have seemed rather distant and preoccupied lately." She pulled away from me, one arm was on each of my shoulders and she was looking into my eyes, and added, "Now as I said earlier, you two should get up soon, that dance of yours is in about two hours, and you still need to find something to wear. Remember? You kept postponing going and buying a suit with me?"  
  
I simply stared at her in shock for a few moments, before pulling her into a tight hug. "Thanks mom, for being so understanding. I was worried about your reaction the most. I'd hate to lose you!" I whispered strongly to her, trying my best to express with words how much it meant to me that she still loved me, and that she would be there for me always.  
  
"Oh, sweetie. You're my son. I'd never abandon or hate you over something as trivial as what gender the person you decide to be with the rest of your life is! You should know that by now! Besides, he's practically family already, with how much time he spends over here and with you," she told me warmly, brushing a few bangs out of my face. I felt Goten begin to stir slightly beside me. "Now I'll let you two be alone now. Have fun at the dance!" With that she pulled away and walked out my door, presumably heading to the lab to get back to work.  
  
I smiled contentedly to myself as I gazed down at Goten. _I couldn't possibly be any happier than I am right now. My life just seems to fit together better now that I know for a fact that no one will come in between me an my love._ His eyes fluttered open slowly, obsidian eyes taking in their surroundings as he sat up slowly. He brought his hands to his face and rubbed his eyes gently before lowering them back down again and looking towards the window. "I-I wasn't dreaming, was I? We're...we're really, y'know, a couple now?" he asked tentatively, almost as if he were afraid that it truly was a dream.  
  
"No, it's real. Neither of us are dreaming right now, thank kami," I told him as I leaned over and gently placed a kiss on his cheek.  
  
He turned towards me and smiled warmly at me, his eyes shining happily., and a light blush covering his face. "Good. Because I don't know what I'd do without you," he said as he wrapped an arm around my waist and laid his head on my shoulder. He sighed and continued, "I also don't know what to do about the dance." I began to respond to that, but he cut me off quickly, "Don't worry Trunks-kun! I'm going with you, it's just well, I don't quite have anything to wear..." I had a feeling that wasn't all over the problem, so I waited for him to continue. He paused for a moment, before adding quickly, "And well, I'm just a little nervous about the whole thing, y'know?"  
  
_Yeah, I know exactly what you're talking about...But I can't say that! I need to be more comforting!_ I thought to myself, trying to decide what would be the best way to respond to Goten's (and my own) fears.  
  
"Ummm....Trunks? How did you just talk, without moving your mouth?" I heard Goten question with a tone of confusion in his voice. My eyes widened and I hastily responded, "B-But I didn't say anything. Not out loud at least! What did you hear me say?"  
  
"Something along the lines of 'I know what you're talking about....But you couldn't say that to me because you needed to be more comforting.' Which, by the way, I appreciate. That's really sweet of you to think of me first, and how I'd react," he looked at me, sending me a smile, before looking a bit more serious, "But you can be more open with me. I'm not a little kid anymore, you don't need to protect me."  
  
I looked at him sadly, "To me you will always be my little chibi, I will always protect you. Even if you may not think you need it, even if you truly don't need it, my protection will always be there. I guess it's in my nature, but I want to always be there for you, because I always have been there for you. I'm afraid of what will happen if I'm not. As I've told you before, I wouldn't be able to stand living without you there by my side." I look up at him, having unconsciously lowered my gaze while I had been speaking, and notice that his face had softened.  
  
"I know Trunks, it's just that I'm tired of people looking down on me as the 'stupid Son brat'. I want to handle stuff on my own. I know I can!" he's now looking straight into my eyes, his own eyes shining with determination.  
  
I sigh loudly, that's my Goten, not one to willingly be bossed around, no matter how simple-minded he may seem to be at first. "That's good Goten, because I have a couple of things that I want to talk to you about before we go out and try to get something to wear to this dance."  
  
"Good. See, isn't it good to know that you can talk t- Wait. 'Get something to wear', as in err.....shopping?" he asked a look of horror on his face.  
  
Another sigh. "Yes, Goten. Shopping. I thought you said that you could handle anything?" I ask him mockingly, one eyebrow arched and a smirk on my lips.  
  
He stutters slightly as he responds, "W-well, yeah....But, shopping? Trunks, I love ya, but there're some things in this world that you should not tell someone. Like if their favorite hockey team has just lost the Stanley Cup. Or if there's a surprise exam coming up in five minutes that they have no hope of passing. It's just better for them to learn of it themselves, y'know what I mean?"  
  
"Goten. Has anyone ever told you that you do not do the whole serious thing very well? Clueless-ness suits you much better, anyways!" I smile, "It's what makes you so utterly adorable!" With that I kissed him on the cheek again. "But there are honestly a few things that I have to talk to you about. D'you want to go for a walk?" I ask, completely spur of the moment.  
  
"Sure, wouldn't mind getting some fresh air!" he responds, slipping off the bed smoothly, as do I. I let him go out the door ahead of me, bowing mockingly for him as he passes by me, earning myself a few laughs and a rather painful bump on my head. We walk down the stairs, skipping every other step, our feet landing rather heavily on the carpeting. I skip the last four stairs, attempting to catch up to Goten who was already at the front door, slipping his sneakers, which he had taken off earlier, on quickly. I follow suit, putting on my own sneakers and slipping past Goten to hold the door open for him. He pouts playfully at me, having been reaching out to open the door for himself. I just give him one of my 'innocent' smiles and follow him as he steps outside onto the front porch of the living area of Capsule Corps.  
  
The sky is still a clear blue, the sun, however, had dropped a bit and was now sitting a little bit above the horizon. "Wow. It is getting pretty late. It must be nearly six o'clock already," I say to Goten as we walk down the path leading to the sidewalk. We're walking so close together that every step either of us takes causes us to brush together in some way. Deciding on the spot that I didn't care if anyone saw us together I wrap an arm around Goten's shoulder lightly, hugging him to me. He tenses up slightly before relaxing into me, one arm wrapped loosely around my waist, his hand burying itself in the folds of my sweatshirt. I rub my hand on his shoulder gently as we turn down the sidewalk.  
  
He sighs softly before asking,"So, Trunks? What did you want to talk to me about?" He turns his head towards me, staring at me, waiting for a reply.  
  
_What to start with?_ I ask myself as I go over in my head what would be best to talk about first. Finally I settle on the unnerving fact that at times we can hear each other's voices in our minds. "Well, for starters, I have a question to ask you." I stop walking and look him I the eye, "Have you been hearing, uh...how do I put this? My voice I your head sometimes? As if you could hear what I was thinking at that moment?"  
  
My small fear that I was going insane was squashed by his response, "Yeah, actually I have. It's kinda creepy. I take it you've been hearing my 'thoughts' as well?"  
  
I let out a breath of relief and decide to try something. _Yeah...I have. Can you hear me right now?_ I'm still looking into his eyes, which have just doubled in size, most likely due to the shock of me responding to him....telepathically? Yeah I guess you could call it that.  
  
_Heheh....Yeah, I can hear you. I don't know how, but I sure can... _He paused temporarily before continuing on out loud, "Wow! This is so cool! Now we can talk to each other psychically, like during school, and when one of us is grounded!"  
  
I smile at him and joke, _You mean when you're grounded. I don't get grounded, my parents let me do basically whatever I want!  
_  
_ Yeah, that's cause your spoiled!_ He retorts, smiling back at me. He looks thoughtful for a brief second before asking me, _That's not all that you wanted to talk about, was it?  
_  
_Chibi never misses anything, not when it comes to peoples thoughts or emotions, now does he?_ I sigh out loud and tell him, "Yeah. I was worried about how you feel about going to that dance. I mean, we both have a lot of friends in school, and well, I wouldn't want you to lose all of yours just because we're a couple now. I don't know the people you hang with, so I'm not sure of how they're going to react." I pause briefly, thinking to myself about my own friends. "I'm not even sure about how my own friends are going to react to us," I whisper to him.  
  
"I know how you feel Trunks. But that thought never even crossed my mind, until fairly recently. I'm going to this dance to be with you, not to impress my friends. Actually, I wasn't even going to show my face at the dance until you asked me to go with you." My spirits dropped slightly, "No! Wait! I didn't mean it that way, I meant it as in I didn't want to go with any one but you. And I definitely didn't want to go to the dance to see you dancing and having a good time with someone else!"  
  
My spirits instantly rose back up and I gave him a grateful smile as I wrapped him in a warm embrace. "Thanks Goten, I'm sorry about doubting you for a second there. I've just been worried about this whole thing for so long, it's hard to forget about my fears, now that I know they have no foundations."  
  
_I understand, love_ I heard him say in my mind. _And I understand the problems we could run into with the other kids at school, but it doesn't matter to me. I'd hate to lose my friends, but if they can't accept us, then they'll have to find a way to deal with it. I'm not gonna let any one boss us around. No one.  
_  
Something about what he said clicked in my mind. Yeah, I'd thought close to the same things before, but I'd always found a fault with the thoughts. Now, I knew that they were true, no matter what anyone else said. Me, being the so-called genius son of the Capsule Corps. President, I should have realized sooner that it wasn't a big deal. But, no, I'd blown it out of proportion again. It was simple really: We're going to the dance. Together. That's it. _I'm glad you feel that way Chibi. I know what you said was the truth. We're gonna go to that dance, and we're gonna have fun!_ I felt myself grinning widely, despite my earlier feelings of uneasiness. Sure they were still there, but they were pushed down and buried in a far away recess of my mind.  
  
I felt him grinning into my shoulder, "Yeah. Nee, Trunks? What do you think all those girls will say about us choosing each other over any of them?" I smirked at the thought, my mind summoning up images of some of the most popular girls of school, looks of horror and disappointment all over their faces. "I dunno, I guess we'll just have to wait a few hours and find out, won't we, love?"  
  
We simply stood there for a moment, wrapped up in each other and enjoying the warmth of the other's bodies pressed against our own. I took in a deep breath and said, "We should get going now."  
  
Goten pulled away and looked at me curiously, "Going where? The dance isn't for nearly two hours still."  
  
_Duh, baka-chan. We still have to get something to wear! They won't let us in dressed in t-shirts, jeans, and sweatshirts!  
_  
"Oh, yeah. I kinda forgot about that for a second there!" he said, scratching the back of his head unconsciously.  
  
I sigh with exasperation, "How can you be so smart, yet so clueless and forgetful at the exact same time?" He just laughs at me, and we start to walk towards the shopping section of West City, our hands linked between us.  
  
A/N: Ok....Well, This chapter was originally going to be a bit shorter, but inspiration hit, and you guys got another page and a half out of me! I'm not really planning on writing the whole shopping experience down, unless for some reason those of you still reading this want me to....I might be able to be convinced, but I think it isn't that important. Sorry about the long wait for an update, but I had a few personal issues to deal with (My first boyfriend! .....Who just happened to cheat on me, I found out after we'd been dating for over a month....grrr...but I dumped him so my life is better now! Yay! ) and exams...evil exams....But it's summer now, so you guys can expect another update by the end of next week at the latest!!!! Please take some time and review, to let me know you're still reading this fic!


	7. Before The Dance

Ryu: Hi again! Yes, it's the end of the world!!! Why, you ask? Cuz I'm updating quickly, it's only about a week or so after my last update!! Actually one of my friends pushed me to update this quickly, so you can all thank him, I believe his pen-name here is CptObvious.... I've been prompted by a friend to keep the Vegeta/Goku stuff....So, if ya still want it in there, say so in a review! Maybe I'll keep it, I dunno.....And thanks to the lovely reviews I got!!! They were so nice! And, if you haven't noticed already, I changed the last chapter.....so, if you haven't read the new version yet, I suggest you do so before reading this chap. If you don't you will be utterly confused! So, without further adieu, On with the chap!!!!  
  
This One Thing  
  
Last Time:  
  
_Duh, baka-chan. We still have to get something to wear! They won't let us in dressed in t-shirts, jeans, and sweatshirts!_  
  
"Oh, yeah. I kinda forgot about that for a second there!" he said, scratching the back of his head unconsciously.  
  
I sigh with exasperation, "How can you be so smart, yet so clueless and forgetful at the exact same time?" He just laughs at me, and we start to walk towards the shopping section of West City, our hands linked between us.  
  
Chapter 7: Before the Dance  
  
It was probably about 7 o'clock by the time we had made it through all the different shops, having been 'attacked' by the shop-keepers at most of them. Attacked, you might ask? Well, when they found out that the rich vice-president of Capsule Corps was shopping for clothes, they obviously wanted me to buy stuff from their shops. What, you don't believe me? I got a couple scratches to prove it! You want to see? No? Good. Besides, about 99.9% of them were female, which also caused a problem due to my...err...popularity.....And when they realized we were getting ready to go to a dance, they decided to ask us if we had a girlfriend to go with. Chibi decided to tell them no, I stopped him from going any further with the explanation with an sharp elbow to the ribs. I wasn't quite ready for the whole town to know yet, y'know what I mean? But, well, the shop-keepers took that information to mean that we still needed a date. At that point they started acting more like crazed fangirls than normal, everyday citizens: "Ahhh!! Trunks-kun! Take me to the dance!" "No! He's gonna take me!" "Well, you're both insane, 'cause Goten's waaayyy hotter, and I'm going with him!" You get the picture. Needless to say, we ran out of those shops as quickly as possible, knocking down a few walls in the progress. What can I say, we're demi-Saiyans after all!  
  
I look over at Goten, who's carrying a bag with his suit in it. It's a good thing we eventually found a small, out of the way shop. Which just so happened to be run by a kind old man; a nice guy, who just happened to not attack us, to not try and force us to buy the most expensive thing in the building, and not try to get autographs, or a date! I have to admit, that would have been a bit weird and uncomfortable if he had opted to go for the last choice. Poor Goten almost fainted by the time we had reached the shop though. I guess all the shopping was really wearing him down. Wimp. But he's _my_ wimp. Heheh. Sorry, I guess I can get a little possessive sometimes. I think I'm getting a little off-track, so I'll get back to where I was originally going now. Wait, where _was_ I going with this? Hmmm.....Well, might as well go into a little detail about the shop, nothing better to do while we walk back. I guess we could fly back instead, but I'd much rather walk, and spend more time with Goten. Heheh....  
  
We'd walked through the door, the jingle of the bell hanging over the doorway resonating throughout out the small shop. I gazed around taking in the fact that the shop seemed to be selling a lot of pointless stuff. It didn't seem to be narrowed down to one specific genre, category, etc. The windows were covered with dark curtain halfway, allowing a controlled amount of light into the store. The floor was made of wood, and it looks as if it's been around for quite some. In fact, this whole shop looks as if that's the case. I wonder vaguely to myself how old this place is before wandering over to a small display of card games, which had caught my eye. I picked up a small pack of cards, which had an illustration of a silver dragon on the front. I read the package and it seems like the game is called 'Duel Monsters'....Weird, that sounds familiar, have I heard it mentioned somewhere before on the TV or the radio? Possibly. I set the pack down and return to Goten's side, who happens to be standing in front of the counter. He leans over, peering around behind the counter, trying to locate the owner of this unique shop I suppose. The light glints off of something metallic as I turn my head, and I spot a small golden bell, resting on the counter beside Goten's left hand.  
  
"Hey, chibi. You do realize that you could simply ring the bell and save yourself some trouble, right?" I ask Goten, smiling to myself.  
  
His eyes look around quickly, trying to find the bell I was talking about, upon catching sight of it he smiles, a slight blush coming to his cheeks. "Oh, yeah. I guess so...." he responds, laughing and scratching the back of his head. He reaches over to ring the bell, but is stopped by the sound of someone moving around coming from the direction that a backdoor was located in. "Huh?" he asks, confused, before continuing, "Is somebody there?"  
  
"Yeah, yeah....hold on, I'm coming," a voice calls out from behind the door. Some noises are heard, along with a rather loud _thump_ before he emerges from the door, allowing it to swing shut behind him. Who is he, you might ask? Well, I don't personally know him. I usually don't hang around with old guys, and this guy seemed as if he was at least 90 years old. I don't know what it was about him, though. It's not like he actually_ looked_ old, but he just seemed to have a wise aura around him. And people are always talking about our elders being wise, right? He was dressed in a plain white shirt and blue jeans that had acquired holes at the knees, and was wearing a teal blue smock over his normal clothing. He dusted his hands off on his smock and looked us over quickly. His eyes brightened slightly and he smiled warmly at us, "So, what can I do for you boys today?" I was about to speak when he interrupted me and continued on, "Let me guess: You need clothes for a dance?"  
  
Ok, now that was really weird. Then again, I've come to realize, that a lot of things in my life are what normal people would classify as 'weird'. I mean, I _did_ fight off an evil monster that looked like it was made out of pink bubblegum when I was only eight. And I do have the ability to fuse with my best friend, and boyfriend. I smiled to myself. He's not just a best friend anymore. I guess I'll have to get used to referring to him as my boyfriend from now on. But anyways, I should have expected some random guy in an old, some-what creepy shop to know exactly what we had went there for, before we even told him. But I did think it was weird, and I'm sure Goten did to. But we ended up getting clothes out of it, and that was the entire point of the whole 'shopping trip' anyways. We got plain black suits along with a forest green shirt for Goten to wear underneath and a deep, navy blue for me. We hadn't tried the clothes on, on account of the fact that the shop-keeper had assured us that the clothes would fit. How he had found suits that would fit us for sure in his shop, I have no clue. But as I said earlier, I shouldn't have been surprised, and for the record, I actually wasn't that stunned. Just a simple 'my mouth was hanging open for several moments before I regained control of my muscles' stunned. Yeah, I guess I'm a little weird myself. Heheh.  
  
Ah! We're back finally. I glance down at my watch quickly. "7:18. That means we have a little over a half hour to get changed and get o the school before the dance starts." I look over at Goten, who's looking at me. "So. This is gonna be our first dance together," I say to him, smiling half- nervously, half in anticipation.  
  
"Yeah. But definitely not our last, Trunks," he responds turning his head so that he's looking forward again and rests his head on my shoulder. I sigh quietly and turn my attention back to where I was walking, when an idea shows itself. I smirk slightly and then focus my thoughts on one thing: my ki. Now, if you don't know already, a person's ki is how they are able to fly. One just has to push one's ki out form them in the opposite direction that they wish to fly, and voila, you're in the air! Flying was a simple matter for me alone, but I decided that I didn't want Goten to know that we were in the air. Judging by the fact that he had his eyes closed, it would be a simple matter if I was able to use enough ki to push both of us off the ground. That and the fact that I didn't want mother to go crazy over us and 'our first dance' etc. So, with a little added effort, I lifted us both off the ground slightly, figuring if I would be able to lift both of us all the way to my window, which I believe I had left open from earlier. Deciding that it'd be an easy task, I lifted us both up higher, deciding on taking a slight side tour before going to my window. My ki wrapped protectively around both me and Goten, I flew up to the roof top. After a few moments we settled down on a spot just above my window and Goten opened his eyes and looked around us.  
  
"H-Huh? How did we get up here without flying?" he looked questioningly at me.  
  
I smirked at him, "I dunno....I just kinda flew up here, so we didn't make it up without flying._ You_ did, but I didn't." It seems as if my explanation has only succeeded in confusing him more. I sighed before trying again, "I used my ki to fly both of us up here."  
  
His eyes widened in realization, "How did you do that? I didn't think that was even possible....I always thought someone would have to be carried if they couldn't fly themselves."  
  
I smiled widely, "I guess I just proved that thought wrong." He grinned back, "Yeah, I guess you did. You've always been one to amaze me." He turned his gaze to the sun which was now almost fully below the horizon. I don't look upon myself as someone who tends to be overly dramatic at times, but it truly was a beautiful sight. I mean, the colors that were being displayed in the sky and reflecting off of the clouds were simply breathtaking. Then again, maybe it was the simple fact that I was with Goten again, this time as a boyfriend. Everything seemed to be _better _with him around. Just walking around town had become enjoyable because I knew my Goten was going to be with me forever. That thought still makes me want to smile and just show everyone how happy I'm feeling.  
  
"The sunset really is beautiful, ne Trunks?" I hear Goten whisper quietly, his head still resting on my shoulder. I wrap my arm around his shoulders protectively, for what reason I don't know, but it might have been partly for the fact that I savored every touch I got from him.  
  
"Yeah, Chibi, it sure is....." I paused, letting silence rest between us, but not awkward silence, more of a peaceful, happy type. Almost grudgingly, I break the calm, quietness that had settled in, "We should get going now."  
  
"Yeah," he slowly picks himself up and stretches his arms out above his head, and I can't help but marvel at how good he looks right now. "Wouldn't want to be late." With that he walks the couple fo feet to the edge of the roof and hops off, presumably going down to my window. I sigh and follow suit, walking over and hopping off the roof too. I slow my fall just as I reach my room, which is on the third floor of Capsule Corps. and climb in through the window. I look around only to not see Goten anywhere. Assuming that he had already gone to one of the bathrooms to get changed, I walk out into the hallway and turn left, heading towards a bathroom as well.  
  
_Moments later  
_  
I step out of the bathroom, adjusting my collar. I'm so happy that we had decided not to wear ties....I head back towards my room to retrieve Goten, who I am sure has finished changing already. I run my fingers through my ear length hair quickly, combing any last hairs that are knotted and out of place. I step into the room only to be greeted with a loud, "Boo!" I jump back, my hand holding my chest where my heart is located.  
  
"Jeez, Goten. What was that about?" I ask, my voice shaking slightly. I realize I shouldn't have gotten so surprised, but I wasn't expecting him to jump out in front of me like he did. Besides, I think I tend to leave my guard down when I'm around him. Don't look at me like that. It's the truth, I swear. Anyways, he simple shrugged in response to my question and laughed. I look him up and down slowly, unable to help myself. He looks great. I don't quite know what it is, but he looks simply beautiful. I realize that I'm staring a little too intently as I notice his cheeks flush crimson.  
  
"What d'ya think?" I hear him ask, a little hesitantly.  
  
Slightly startled by the fact that he had no clue what I thought of his outfit, I simple think to him, _It's nice darling. Not extremely sexy, I regret to inform you. But you still look wonderful._ I can't help the smirk that forms on my lips as I think this. His eyes widen in shock.  
  
_T-Thanks_, I hear him think. Then after a slight pause he continues, _I'll ignore the comment about me not looking drop-dead sexy in this though._ I'm not too surprised by the smirk that is now resting on his lips. _Shall we go to the dance now?_ he asks, holding out his arm.  
  
"Yes, I believe we shall," I say to him, smiling happily as I wrap my arm around his. With that we walk down the stairs and to a side door leading to the garage, where my car is parked. Yes, I have a car, a nice one too. I'm rich, what do you expect? I open the passenger door for Goten, and he climbs in smoothly. I shut the door lightly and walk around to the driver's side. I get in and start up the engine as the garage door rises. "Are you ready, chibi?" I ask, trying to make sure that he was ok with going to the dance. Memories of the conversation we had earlier swim in my mind.  
  
"Yeah, Trunks-kun. I am. 'Cause I know that you'll be right there beside me." I look over at him and I'm greeted with a content smile and his sparkling onyx eyes. I smile back and pull out of the garage. _Yeah, we're gonna be together. Nothing will separate us. Ever. Because I love you too much, I need you too much for anything to ever tear you away from me.  
_  
_Same here, Trunks-kun. Same here.  
_  
A/N: Well, that's it. Not for the fic, but for this chap. Next chap: They go to the dance. What will they face? Acceptance, or ridicule? Even I don't quite know yet. So tune in next time to find out! Oh, and before I forget, thanks for all the wonderful reviews! I love them! Sorry I don't respond anymore, but I don't' think will allow that. But if you want I could e-mail a response to ya.....I dunno. If you really want a response or have a question just ask for an e-mail! Oh, and if ya ever want to e-mail me just to chat, feel free. I love talking to people. Ja ne 


	8. The Dance: Opening

A/N: Ok! I'm back minna-san! Sorry for the long wait (it wasn't that bad, was it?) But I had more personal issues...grr...my life really seems to suck sometimes, but I couldn't let it keep meh down! /smiles/ Thank you ALL SO MUCH for all of the lovely reviews! Omg, I'm gonna go crazy if you all keep giving me so much praise and showing me how many of ya actually read this!!! I wrote a short one-shot (titled Plus One, if any of ya want to check it out, it's a short Truten...I think it turned out...ok.... lol) while on vacation to Cedar Point (roller coaster capital of the US!) The vacation was pretty good, could've been better, but still, the coasters were AWESOME! One I went on was freakin' 420 ft. high!!!! And you were shot 90 degrees straight up at 120 mph!!!! ahem.....Yeah, but on with the fic now! First a quick question though, how many of you read these notes? I know a couple of you do for sure....but I'm just curious /smiles/ Now, our feature presentation! lol

This One Thing

Last Time:

"Are you ready, chibi?" I ask, trying to make sure that he was ok with going to the dance. Memories of the conversation we had earlier swim in my mind.

"Yeah, Trunks-kun. I am. 'Cause I know that you'll be right there beside me." I look over at him and I'm greeted with a content smile and his sparkling onyx eyes. I smile back and pull out of the garage. _Yeah, we're gonna be together. Nothing will separate us. Ever. Because I love you too much, I need you too much for anything to ever tear you away from me._

_Same here, Trunks-kun. Same here._

Chapter 8: The Dance- Opening

Here we are. The school. The dance. Or, as I'm beginning to look at it, possible heaven or hell. It's as if right now we're both tip-toeing across the edge of a knife. Which is slowly becoming sharper, sharp as a razor blade. The danger increasing with every step, every inch closer we come to our destination. And we, being the love-blinded fools that we are, have decided to end with the tip-toeing and just race forward, not entirely thinking about the consequences. Bringing about the end of the delicate balancing act, which we've endured for the past day or so. The closure of our internal conflict over whether to be so-called 'normal', or actual be normal, our normal. Hmm..not making much sense to you? Sorry about that, I guess I'm not exactly the best at describing stuff, especially when I barely understand half of what's going on in mind myself. But what I'm saying is exactly what's coming to my mind first, therefore it's exactly how I feel right now, or at least how I perceive that I'm feeling. I perceive this event, which some might consider tiny, as something more than that. We were being so careful not to let anyone know our true feelings for so long, even the one that we held those feelings for, and now we're about to let it out. We were so careful, but soon all of that's not gonna matter.

It scares me.

But at the same time, things like this make my heart speed up. Makes it beat that little bit faster every second. Like when I'm in the middle of a battle. Sure, I haven't fought anyone in years, at least not _truly_ fought someone in years. But I still have the memory of the fear I felt facing Buu. Of the sense of knowing I was about to go up against something so much larger, so much stronger than myself. The feeling of having to defeat something that seems unbeatable, all for the ones I've loved. And now I'm in that position again. Only this time it's not a monster, and I'm not fighting for the ones I love. It's my peers, my fellow students, and I'm fighting for the ONE I love. And it is situations like this that make my heart beat harder. Makes it beat for a reason.

I unconsciously bring a hand up to my chest, letting it rest there, feeling the steady, yet fast, rhythmic beating. Feel it pounding in my rib cage, as my footsteps echo across the pavement of the school parking lot. As we reach the door, I notice my hand has dropped from its position on my chest and I've grasped Goten's hand tightly. I gently tighten my grip a little more, looking for some assurance, which I get in a small squeeze back. I take in a deep breath, in a futile attempt to calm my nerves. I take a quick glance at my love, and the look of determination on his features is enough to give me the needed strength to push open the doors.

I find this funny really. I always look upon myself as needing to support Goten. Not really looking upon him as a child, just as the one I need to protect, y'know? But here we are, probably one of the hardest times we've gone through so far, and he's the one that's giving me support. Not that I mind it, I have no idea what I'd do without him. It's just...it's the opposite of how I thought it would be. I sigh, realizing I'm getting off on my own little thought process again.

I hear the dim beat of the music from down the hallway, which is littered with teens waiting for their friends or others to arrive. I brace myself mentally, and physically to, I feel my muscles tighten a little bit. For what, I don't know. But there's bound to be something. Rejection. Confusion. Ridicule. And Hate. I don't really know.

I'm feeling rather self-conscious walking in through the doors. For a second, I'm almost tempted to go back into 'hide-everything' mode, and my grip on Goten's hand loosens. However, before I could release his hand, he tightens his own grip, and I look over at him. He's looking up at me, and his eyes are filled with mixed emotions. I can tell he's confused over what I was about to do. He's wondering if I really hate him or something, and this was one big joke, or if something else is wrong. I realize now that even though he's supporting me, and giving me reassurances left and right, that doesn't mean he isn't human. In other words, he's just as susceptible as I to these feelings. He's worried about me, about what's gonna happen, and I was just about to let him go. True, it was only his hand, but that could have been interpreted as leaving him alone to deal with stuff by himself. I mentally smack myself, and try to smile reassuringly to him. I gaze into his eyes, and the confusion disappears, to be replaced with love and hope. Granted, he's still nervous, but I guess all that he needed was to know that I'd always be here. He could have just asked me mentally, but I can tell that it meant more when I realized it myself.

With that thought I turn and continue my evaluation of the hall. No one seems to have noticed us walk in yet, or at least they haven't noticed our linked hands. I let out a sigh, whether of relief or anxiety, I have no clue. I thought my emotions were messed up when we drove here, I guess that I had no clue what messed-up was then.

_- So far it seems that no one has noticed us, -_ I hear Goten think to me.

_-Yeah. Maybe I was wrong, maybe I was overreacting, ne?-_ I question back to him, however, knowing very well that I was more than likely justified in my fears.

_-Well, if you're wrong than so am I. Cause I'm nervous as hell right now.-_ His voice actually cracked during that thought. I let go of his hand, only to quickly wrap it around his shoulder, in what I hope is a comforting semi-embrace. We walk up to the teacher sitting behind a desk just outside of the gym. She looks up, her green eyes assessing us through her red spectacles.

After a moment, she asks, "Tickets?" And I pull out my wallet form my back pocket, and slip out two green colored tickets and hand them to her, replacing my wallet afterwards. She glances to the tickets, just long enough to assure herself that they're valid, and then hands them back to me. I simple shove them into my pocket with my free hand, my left one never leaving Goten's shoulder. She nods to us, giving us leave to enter the dance, and so I guide Goten to the open Gym doors. I hear her say something, but just barely, meaning that there's no way on Chikyuu(1) that any _normal_ person could have heard her.

A small smile makes its way onto my lips as I hear her whisper, "I hope they don't let anyone here ruin their night." I have no clue who the teacher was, but I hope I have her next year, she seems nice. I make note of that thought, simply because I want to, and return my attention to what's going on around me. We're now stepping thorough the doors, and the heavy beat of the song they're playing is pulsing through me. I don't recognize the song, but then again, I'm not a huge fan of most music, I generally stick to new rock.

"So what do you want to do now?" I hear Goten say at my side. It seems to me that he would have been more comfortable thinking it to me, but being the intelligent person he is, he realized it might seem odd to some people if we stand here and don't talk at all. I smirk a little at that thought and then answer him, "I have no clue. I skipped out on the homecoming dances the last two years, because I had no one to go with, and so I haven't officially been to any high school dances."

"Me neither," he responds, laughing at our predicament. "Maybe we should just go get something to drink, I'm kinda thirsty anyway, and I don't feel like dancing."

"Sounds good to me," I say as I drop my arm from his shoulder and back to his hand and begin to walk towards the food table that is stationed a few yards to the left. We approach the table and I notice some of my friends form my home room standing around the cups of pop at the end. I look at them, then to Goten. "Would you mind going and saying 'hi'?" I ask.

"Not at all. That is, if you think they won't mind, y'know," he tells me, shrugging.

I grin, "They won't mind!" _At least that's what I have to tell myself._ "Let's go!" I half-drag him over to them, having not given him enough time to begin walking on his own. And so we approach our first encounter thus far, not counting the teacher at the desk. I just hope that I hadn't lied when I told him they wouldn't care.

The first of them to spot me is Alexei. "Hey Trunks! How ya doing? I was wondering if you'd show!" He claps me on the back, with a big grin on his face. His happiness seems to be contagious and I can't control the grin forming on my face, and with a glance at Goten I realize he can't either.

"Yeah," begins Stan, another of my friends, "Did you find someone to go with?"I feel the heat rising to my cheeks slightly, and nod in reply. I lower my gaze to the floor to hide my blush, and I hear Stan speak to Goten, "And how 'bout you? Did you ever ask that person out that you were telling me about a couple days ago?" I look up at this, just in time to spot Stan's knowing smirk and see Goten acquire a red tinge to his cheeks.

_-Umm...I kinda talked to him about my....crush...on you... He's really good friend of mine, and I had to talk to **someone**! And, well, you just weren't the best choice in my mind at the time....-_

I can sense the feeling of regret in his voice, as if he's afraid he did wrong. I want to try to console him, but I'll have to do it quickly, before someone notices the fact that we're standing here and...spacing out, for lack of a better phrase. _-Don't be sorry, I'm happy you found someone to talk to. And at least now you know you can talk to me if you ever want to.- _I squeeze his hand to emphasize my thoughts, and I sense his feelings going back to 'normal'. He gives a shaky smile to Stan, and with a burst of inspiration, he lifts our joined hands up, so that they can see them clearly. So that they can tell, without a doubt, that we're _together_.

Well, I guess that means that it's the 'moment of truth'. Will they except us? Or will they suddenly decide to go against everything they've ever told me, and turn their backs on us? I know, I just _know_, that it's just my worries speaking there, but in my position, you can't help but worry, ne? And so, when I meet Alexei's eyes, and when Goten meets the eyes of one of the other guys, neither of us can stop the echoing _-What?-_ from bouncing between our minds. Because what met us in those pairs of eyes was disconcerting. It shouldn't have been, but as I said just earlier, my mind was all screwed over with the worry and frustration gnawing at the back of my mind; however, I know that I've explained my mental situation enough times by now, and don't have to go through everything again.

By now you must be sitting there, waiting for me to finally get to the point. Asking what I found in the blue depths of his eyes, ne? I'll tell you in a few simple words.

Acceptance.

Understanding.

Complete friendship, as if nothing had changed, but yet everything at all.

(1) _Chikyuu-_ I found that this is what Toriyama (creator of DBZ) calls the world the characters live in. It's similar to Earth, but has several differences, such as the talking animals and the existance of dinosaurs. I could've put _Earth_ in this spot, but Trunks wouldn't know what 'Earth' was....plus I like 'Chikyuu' better!

_A/N:_ So, what d'you think? I'm pretty proud of how this one turned out, and the fact that I finally got off meh lazy ass and wrote it..../grins/ Anywho, PLEASE REVIEW! I absolutely love all the reviews I'm getting! They totally amaze me, each and every one of them! I had no clue how many people would like this when I started, and it's all of you guys that keep me writing this! Considering, I haven't even _looked_ at the DBZ section on this site for ages...heheh.... And that's all I have to say /waves/ Hope ya enjoyed this chapter and I'll work hard to get the next one out quicker!


	9. The Dance Being With You

A/N: Ok, I'm sorry about not updating earlier, but I've basically left the DBZ fandom, and moved onto others such as Yugioh and Gravitation (Happy B-day Ryuichi, by the way!)

This chapter is dedicated to Selphie-4-Ever, due to you're wonderful review which pushed me to update this and to one of my best friends Jak I hope you're doing fine, and that this update will make ya happy.

ON with the story...

Last time:

Well, I guess that means that it's the 'moment of truth'. Will they except us? Or will they suddenly decide to go against everything they've ever told me, and turn their backs on us? I know, I just know, that it's just my worries speaking there, but in my position, you can't help but worry, ne? And so, when I meet Alexei's eyes, and when Goten meets the eyes of one of the other guys, neither of us can stop the echoing -What?- from bouncing between our minds. Because what met us in those pairs of eyes was disconcerting. It shouldn't have been, but as I said just earlier, my mind was all screwed over with the worry and frustration gnawing at the back of my mind; however, I know that I've explained my mental situation enough times by now, and don't have to go through everything again.

By now you must be sitting there, waiting for me to finally get to the point. Asking what I found in the blue depths of his eyes, ne? I'll tell you in a few simple words.

Acceptance.

Understanding.

Complete friendship, as if nothing had changed, but yet everything at all.

Chapter 9: The Dance- Being with you

A few hours later found the two of us out on the brilliantly lit dance floor, swaying gently to the soft music playing. The dance had gone without a flaw thus far, and I had even managed to snag a few kisses from Goten-kun.

Well... when I say "without a flaw" that means nothing happened that I couldn't handle of course. You can hear the smug-ness in my voice can't you? Oh well, I have a right to be smug, unlike those smart- asses who attempted to pester us. 'Attempted'. Meaning they are now currently eating out of the big green garbage can behind the back of the gym. Oh, and they'll be looking out of black-eyes by morning too.

Ok, you caught me, the one guy got off slightly worse, but **he** was the one who had tried to touch **my** Goten. MINE. And he just shouldn't have done so in the first place, but when he went and did it anyways in a threatening manner, I simply punched him square in the face and sent a slight ki-blast towards him. It hit dead on, of course, and he went flying, of course. And then he hit the wall that just so happened to be situated a mere five feet behind him. So in the end, he walked, er... stumbled off with a minor concussion and no one but us were any wiser.

Back to now, because I like now. Why? Because now we are walking off of the dance floor, my hand looped around his waist and his head resting on my right shoulder contentedly. And now we are sitting on the bleachers set off to the side of the central dance floor, covered in streamers, and I'm leaning into a rather enjoyable kiss. I lift my hand up to cup his chin and tilt his head slightly, allowing better entrance as slip my tongue in between those beautiful lips of his.

As I hear him moan I feel a heat rise up inside me but at the same time I'm brought back to the fact that sadly we are sitting in a public area, a school dance no less, and I can't take him then and there. Besides, I don't really know how he would feel about that, considering we've only been officially dating for a few days.

_- It doesn't bother me. Would I have moaned if I didn't want you?-_ I hear him sigh pleasantly in my mind.

_-Maybe... depends on whether there's food involved...-_ I reply as we pull back and a smirk settles upon my features.

"Mmmm... chocolate..." My smirk grows wider as I hear his moaned response. "Trunks-kun all covered in chocolate... sounds yummy, ne?" I blush and look down at his head which is once again resting upon my shoulder. I guess that means I was only partially correct.

I jump at a small tap upon my other shoulder and twist me head, careful not to disturb a sleepy Goten on my other shoulder. "If you two are done smooching we wanted to let you know that we'll be leaving soon." I look at the source of the voice to discover my friend Alexei to be the culprit of the interruption. At my questioning look he adds, "It's almost 11 you know. That's when the dance ends, we're gonna head out to an arcade or something... Not much else to do seeing as we don't have girlfriends. We want to avoid that after-the-dance traffic."

I nod my understanding and grin back at him as he flashes me a smile and walks off, presumably to the rest of the group. _-Ne, Goten. It's time to leave, unless you want to stay for the last dance that is.- _

_-Nah, I'm kinda sleepy anyways...-_ he replies, yawning almost as if in emphasis to his statement. He lifts his head up and meets my eyes and I see a glint of mischief in them. "Wanna see something cool? Dad taught it to me the other day."

I shrug in response and say, "Sure." I act as if it's nothing, I mean I can't outwardly admit I admire Goten's Otou-san (1). If I did that **my** Otou-san would have a conniption fit, then again, that would be worthwhile to see one of these days. The high and mighty prince freaking out. Amusing for sure.

Goten stands up beside me, my hand clasped firmly within his. I stand up and follow as he leads me off towards a shadowy area of the dance. "Man, Goten, I knew you were anxious to do it, but here?" I ask, mockingly. I can't really tell due to the darkness of the corner, but I swear I see a dark blush spread across his cheeks.

"Just hold on a second, Trunks-kun... I have to concentrate now, be quite for a second."

I roll my eyes at this, "Yes, **ChiChi-sama**," I reply, stressing the nickname/insult. He just smacks me on the side of the head playfully with his free hand, seeing as he's yet to let go of my hand with his other hand. I resign myself to pouting cutely as I wait for this surprise. It has to be something good, seeing as my Chibi never goes through this much trouble to think about **anything**.

"Ok, got it," I hear him mutter before everything goes black for a split second, and now we're sitting under a tree in the backyard of Capsule Corps. I gasp escapes from between my lips as I realize what just happened. "Instant transmission, ya gotta love it," Goten states smugly, quoting his father.

Now it's my turn to smack him on the side of the head, "I didn't know you could do that!"

"Useful, ne?" he asks, once again returning to sleepy-Goten mode. I nod, still slightly dazed from the quick change in scenery, and lean back against the tree behind me as Goten situates himself comfortably, using me as a pillow of sorts. I bring a hand up to brush softly through his raven hair and I'm once again reminded of just how lucky I am. As I tell Goten this I know he's blushing, which is just part of what makes him so cute. He curls up in my side like a little kitten, and within moments I know he's fallen asleep.

I gaze up at the stars, and as I see a star streak across the speckled blackness a song comes to mind. I gaze down at Goten again, and simply study his smooth, innocent-looking features. Not being able to resist, I lean down and place a chaste kiss upon his rose-colored lips. I sit back against the tree once again after a moment of tasting those sweet lips and begin to gently sing the song underneath my breath.

**_Restless tonight _**

Cause I wasted the light

Between both these times

I drew a really thin line

It's nothing I planned

And not that I can

But you should be mine

Across that line

A soft sigh emits itself from Goten's lips and he stirs slightly at my side. I pause for a moment, not wishing to awaken him when he looks so peaceful like that, before continuing.

**_If I traded it all _**

**_If I gave it all away for one thing_**

**_Just for one thing_**

**_If I sorted it out_**

**_If I knew all about this one thing_**

**_Wouldn't that be something_**

This time the sigh comes not from him, but from between my own lips. I had always listened to those songs, always talking about love and life, and what they meant. And, while listening to these songs, I had always wondered whether there was any truth to be found within them, or if it was all some marketing scheme to sell records. Now I know. Because I would give anything for this one thing. Anything for my Goten.

**_I promise I might _**

**_Not walk on by_**

**_Maybe next time_**

**_But not this time_**

**_Even though I know_**

**_I don't want to know_**

**_Yeah I guess I know_**

**_I just hate how it sounds_**

_-But not anymore-_I hear Goten say within my mind, after finishing the last few lines of the song himself, rather than allowing me to continue on._-I used to be afraid of what it meant to love you. I used to be afraid of what would happen, but not anymore. Now the only thing I'm afraid of is losing you.- _

_-And you know that will never happen koibito (2)-_ I send back to him, warmth filling my thought-voice.

**_If I traded it all _**

If I gave it all away for one thing

Just for one thing

If I sorted it out

If I knew all about this one thing

Wouldn't that be something

As we drifted off into sleep within each other's arms the sound of our song lulled us into a content dreaming state, and one sentence was said between our mind link _-And **this** one thing truly is something, and I'm happy we finally reached it.-_

FIN

(1) Otou-san: It's father in Japanese

(2)Koibito: It's translated literally as "lover". Again, Japanese

And that's it. At least for awhile, there may be an epilogue or a sequel, depending on how many of you actually enjoyed this story. Yes, I was inspired for the title by the song shown in this chapter, it's entitled "This One Thing," and it's performed by the great band Finger Eleven, in other words, it's not mine.

I hope you all enjoyed this fic, and I'm sorry it took so long to finish, I honestly finished it in one day, I just wasn't inspired to do so before now. Thank you all for being so kind as to read my work and review it to those of you who did so.

I love you all (appropriately of course), feel free to chat with me if you want, my AIM is Ryu Kiari and my Yahoo ID is ryuu mizu (with an underscore between words). If any of you use runescape (the online rpg) my screen names for it are Ryu Kiari and Tohma sama (with an underscore between the words in both screen names). Thank you all again for reading, hope to see ya again soon!


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